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Influenza prevention and control in child care settings.

Recommendations for Child Care Settings for Prevention and Control of Influenza 2011 1

What can teachers and other child care workers do to reduce the spread of influenza?
1. Recognize influenza. The symptoms of influenza are fever (> 100°F or 37.8°C), cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Sometimes diarrhea or vomiting accompany these symptoms; however, these symptoms are usually not the main problem.
2. Prevent exposure. Children with symptoms of influenza (see above) should be removed from the classroom as soon as possible. Keep ill children apart from others until the parent/guardian can make arrangements to take them home.
3. Contain ill persons. Designate an area where ill children can be monitored while waiting to leave the child care setting. This area should be separated from other individuals until the parent can make arrangements to send the child home.
4. Designate staff to care for ill persons until they can be sent home. Limit the number of people involved. Designated staff should not be at increased risk of influenza (i.e., pregnant individuals, immunocompromised persons, persons with chronic health conditions, etc.).
5. Follow exclusion guidelines. Inform parent/guardian that the child is to be excluded from the child care setting and extracurricular activities such as field trips until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone in the absence of fever-reducing medications, even if the child is taking an antiviral medication.
What important personal habits prevent or reduce the spread of influenza?
1. Get the flu vaccine every year. The single best way to protect against seasonal flu and its potential severe complications is for children to get a seasonal influenza vaccine each year. Flu vaccination is recommended for all children aged 6 months and older.
2. Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands several times a day using soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds. Check restrooms regularly to ensure that soap and paper towels are always available. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
3. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Alcohol-based hand gels may be used in classrooms to minimize disruption. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is effective in killing germs on hands when they are not visibly soiled. Appropriate times to practice good hand hygiene are after coughing, sneezing, or contact with infected surfaces (i.e., desks, doorknobs).
4. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Make sure tissues are available in all classrooms. Tissues should be thrown away immediately, and then followed by proper hand hygiene. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder; not into your hands.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs are spread this way.
6. Stay home when you are ill. Any attendee, teacher, or staff member reporting influenza-like illness symptoms should stay at home or be sent home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications, even if the individual is taking an antiviral medication.
7. Clean surfaces frequently. In the center, clean commonly used surfaces such as door handles, handrails, eating surfaces, desks, etc., frequently with detergent-based cleaners or EPA registered disinfectants that are normally used in the child care setting. Special cleaning products are not needed. Use cleaning products according to directions on the product label. For bleach solutions, mix 1/4 cup chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of cool water. Bleach solutions should be changed daily. Additional, extensive cleaning of child care settings by wiping down floors and walls is not necessary as this has not been demonstrated to decrease the spread of influenza.
8. Remember the child care bus. Clean commonly handled interior surfaces (i.e., door handles, hand rails, etc.) between groups of students. Consider making tissues and alcohol-based hand gel available on buses since hand washing facilities are not available.
9. Report high absentee rates to your local health department. Your health department will work with you to help stop the spread of illness.
Influenza Prevention and Control in Child Care Settings
Public Health
Fact Sheet
Public Health
Fact Sheet
For further information call or visit us on the World Wide Web
Acute Disease Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Phone (405) 271-4060
http://ads.health.ok.gov
OSDH 09/11

What can teachers and other child care workers do to reduce the spread of influenza?
1. Recognize influenza. The symptoms of influenza are fever (> 100°F or 37.8°C), cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Sometimes diarrhea or vomiting accompany these symptoms; however, these symptoms are usually not the main problem.
2. Prevent exposure. Children with symptoms of influenza (see above) should be removed from the classroom as soon as possible. Keep ill children apart from others until the parent/guardian can make arrangements to take them home.
3. Contain ill persons. Designate an area where ill children can be monitored while waiting to leave the child care setting. This area should be separated from other individuals until the parent can make arrangements to send the child home.
4. Designate staff to care for ill persons until they can be sent home. Limit the number of people involved. Designated staff should not be at increased risk of influenza (i.e., pregnant individuals, immunocompromised persons, persons with chronic health conditions, etc.).
5. Follow exclusion guidelines. Inform parent/guardian that the child is to be excluded from the child care setting and extracurricular activities such as field trips until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone in the absence of fever-reducing medications, even if the child is taking an antiviral medication.
What important personal habits prevent or reduce the spread of influenza?
1. Get the flu vaccine every year. The single best way to protect against seasonal flu and its potential severe complications is for children to get a seasonal influenza vaccine each year. Flu vaccination is recommended for all children aged 6 months and older.
2. Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands several times a day using soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds. Check restrooms regularly to ensure that soap and paper towels are always available. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
3. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Alcohol-based hand gels may be used in classrooms to minimize disruption. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is effective in killing germs on hands when they are not visibly soiled. Appropriate times to practice good hand hygiene are after coughing, sneezing, or contact with infected surfaces (i.e., desks, doorknobs).
4. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Make sure tissues are available in all classrooms. Tissues should be thrown away immediately, and then followed by proper hand hygiene. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder; not into your hands.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs are spread this way.
6. Stay home when you are ill. Any attendee, teacher, or staff member reporting influenza-like illness symptoms should stay at home or be sent home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications, even if the individual is taking an antiviral medication.
7. Clean surfaces frequently. In the center, clean commonly used surfaces such as door handles, handrails, eating surfaces, desks, etc., frequently with detergent-based cleaners or EPA registered disinfectants that are normally used in the child care setting. Special cleaning products are not needed. Use cleaning products according to directions on the product label. For bleach solutions, mix 1/4 cup chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of cool water. Bleach solutions should be changed daily. Additional, extensive cleaning of child care settings by wiping down floors and walls is not necessary as this has not been demonstrated to decrease the spread of influenza.
8. Remember the child care bus. Clean commonly handled interior surfaces (i.e., door handles, hand rails, etc.) between groups of students. Consider making tissues and alcohol-based hand gel available on buses since hand washing facilities are not available.
9. Report high absentee rates to your local health department. Your health department will work with you to help stop the spread of illness.
Influenza Prevention and Control in Child Care Settings
Public Health
Fact Sheet
Public Health
Fact Sheet
For further information call or visit us on the World Wide Web
Acute Disease Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Phone (405) 271-4060
http://ads.health.ok.gov
OSDH 09/11